Living off the grid – the Vanabode way is not new to us, but …
we’ve had to figure and refigure this transition.
One thing we’ve learned on the Naked Hippies never-ending roadtip is this … if you stay in one place too long, you can get too comfortable and too used to a set routine …
so that when you move on, the transition to a new setting, a new routine is sometimes arduous.
We spent the summer in Eureka Springs with our dear friends and business partners. We were spoiled in every way, for sure, and are so extremely grateful for their gracious hospitality.
But, we pulled out last weekend to come back to our Missouri River home to reconnect with our “roots” and the beauty and serenity of this place … AND to begin living off the grid. No electricity, no hookups, in preparation for our Vanabode lifestyle.
So, as we’ve had fun seeing old friends and getting situated on the banks of the river, we’ve had to figure out how to power our laptops and cell phones – to keep our business growing – since we don’t have unlimited internet and continuous electricity flowing to our devices.
We’re using a 12v battery and an inverter, just as we did when we lived here in a tent one summer. Read our story here!
So, it’s back to the basics again!
It has made us mindful of our habits and caused us to plan more strategically for the work we do every day.
We even bought a portable CD player to use for the guided meditation series we are using so that we don’t use up all the laptop power while meditating. You remember those portable CD players?
As always, there is a solution for everything that comes up, for everything that we want to do. So, we’re making this transition pretty easily and having a ton of FUN figuring out our new “routine.”
We never pass up an invitation for a boat ride on the river!
A routine which includes time not only off the grid, but off the laptop and cell phone, to watch the river, dance under the full moon, listen to the coyotes and owls and cicadas, ride on the pontoon, and say “amen” to another wonderful day as we watch the sunset over the river.
This is what I collect now!
Interesting and exciting to me are the dragonflies that hover around me as I sit outside with my laptop or my journal. The dragonfly animal totem represents transition, adaptability and reconnecting with Mother Nature. BINGO! Exactly what we are experiencing!
Beautiful messenger!
We’re parked right on the riverbank, under massive shade trees and have the most incredible view of this beautiful river from right to left as we fall asleep and wake up every day.
This is where we call “home” because it’s where our dream went through its labor and birth.
And now, there’s a new “pregnancy!” (hold on now – read the previous sentence – it’s not ME!)
A new dream is going through the labor to be birthed in our lives … the dream of our Vanabode.
You can read all my journal entries about manifesting our Vanabode here.
So far, so great is how it feels to be living off the grid!
All in all, we still say “it doesn’t get any better than this … until it does!”
Immersed in nature, awed by the peace and serenity here.
P.S. The #1 question we are asked when people find out we live and travel full time on the never-ending roadtrip is this … “How do you afford to do this?” If you’re asking that question in all seriousness because you have this urging within you to travel, to be free, to live life on your own terms … and you know that life is too short to wait … send me a message on FB or text me. Let’s talk!
We’re beginning round 2 of manifesting our Vanabode!
In a few days, we are heading back to the birthplace of the Naked Hippies Roadtrip dream … our river home on the banks of the Missouri River near Columbia, Missouri.
It was there that we first lived in a tent one summer. It was there that we lived and worked as camphosts for five summers. It was there that I took a leap of faith and walked away from my corporate job.
Yep! Quit my job to enjoy afternoon breaks like this!
And, it was there that we pulled up stakes, hit the road and left in November, 2013 on the never-ending roadtrip.
It’s time to go back, to touch base with our “roots” again … to revel in the joys and memories of all the miles we have traveled and to also …
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been downsizing – AGAIN!
Heck, I’ve even had to downsize on my laptop – getting rid of unneeded files to make sure I always have enough room for the hundreds of pictures I take as we travel.
Our stay at the river will be totally different this time, it will be just as it was when we were there in the tent that one glorious summer.
We won’t hook up to electricity, we won’t hook up to water, we will be unplugged. This is more practice for living the Vanabode lifestyle.
The best part about all of this, well, one of the benefits of being unplugged at the river is that we will be parking our camper down a ways from the campground, at a friend’s private little camp spot … away from the commotion of other campers – nestled in the trees right on the banks of the river.
We have ordered the inverter we need to use with our 12v battery, (the one recommended by Jason in the Vanabode book) so that we can keep our laptops and phones charged, using the big ol’ Dodge Ram pickup battery to charge the 12v. It’s exactly what we did the summer in the tent to stay plugged in enough to keep our business growing.
Now, the rest of this week is going to be crazy busy with all the kind of last minute tasks you do to get ready to go anywhere. I’ve got a long checklist of things to remember, stuff to get, people to see once more before we leave.
You can feel the energy rising in us, and I believe even our Big Foot Camper can sense the coming adventure … there’s a roadtrip coming up!
Always breathtaking!
Back to the river, back to campfires, rides on the pontoon, spectacular sunsets, glorious sunrises, walks through the woods, the sounds of train whistles, coyotes, owls and flowing water … reconnecting to what we call “home base.”
It’s good to go back and touch base every now and then. It’s definitely time for this to happen.
It’s definitely time to take this next step to manifesting our Vanabode.
I’m excited to share with you our experiences from the river.
Stay tuned!
Trisha (and Bruce!)
p: 573-881-6715
f: Connect with me on Facebook
P.S. You can follow each step of our journey to our Vanabode here:
P.P.S. We love sharing our life with you because we know that seeing two ordinary people who absolutely love life and love traveling are actually doing it and having the time of their life gives hope to others who dream of breaking free. See how we love EVERYTHING we do – including our income streams! Click the banner below to see where you can start, too!
Yes, it requires you to remove your clothes, and there are some who will think of running around stark naked! While, there’s great freedom in being a naturist, it’s not the subject here. (we’ll get to that in another blog post!)
We’ve been carrying around excess weight for nearly two years.
Lugging around all of this: (it’s shocking, really!)
Guess what happened as soon as I finished clearing out the excess clothes?
I tackled books, papers, junk drawers, kitchen utensils and pots, and all that bathroom/personal stuff that had accumulated.
The result? Losing weight! A TON OF IT! Two huge trash bags of clothes removed to donate; two huge, HEAVY trash bags of junk to throw away; dozens of books to take to the library, a table full of items to sell or donate; a huge box of papers to burn …
And it feels so goooooooood! There is a lightness to the camper now. Our clothes can breathe. Not every drawer and cabinet is stuffed to the brim.
Now we’re wondering how our gas mileage will improve!
This was phase one as we prepare to reduce and simplify our life to live and travel in our Vanabode home. There will be MORE downsizing when the official moving day arrives.
For now, we’re good.
That was how to lose weight the Naked Hippies Way!
This downsizing experience has served two purposes …
First, Losing weight! The physical result of eliminating unnecessary and unneeded items from our living space feels so freeing.
Second, reflecting and realizing how much “junk” we carry around in our minds that weighs us down and keeps us from living the best life possible.
This is losing weight the personal growth way:
We carry around fear, anger, jealousy, lack, low self-worth, bitterness, doubt and worry.
It’s a huge burden that if not removed, will drag you down to the depths of a hellish life, a life where you just exist, you just get by, go through the motions … survive.
When you take time to reflect on the limiting beliefs you have been carrying all your life, you’ll say exactly what I said when I viewed the massive amount of clothes piled in our camper …
“Who NEEDS this?”
You definitely don’t need the negative, limiting beliefs in your life.
They have been taking up space in your thoughts for too long. It’s time to downsize … to clear out the junk drawers of your mind.
Make space for joy and happiness and expectancy and hope and creation.
How?
By going within … through meditation, reflection, getting still. By listening, seeing and feeling your connection to The One, God, the Universe, the great I AM – whatever name you give to your higher power.
Meditation is something Bruce and I take time for every day. No matter what. It is making a huge difference in our life, in what we are seeing manifested.
It is the ONLY way to find yourself, your true self, your higher self, your Divine self. Go within in order to soar without.
There are many roads that lead you to your inner self. Find the one that works for you. The only “mistake” you can make is in not taking the time to meditate.
No matter what road you take, the journey will be remarkable. It’s the focus of our morning mindset call “Journey to Magnificence” where we read and study and discuss personal growth books and ideas.
The call is open to anyone seeking guidance and understanding and knowledge about the Law of Attraction, about manifesting your desires, about being and doing and having all that you dream of.
Join the call Monday thru Friday at 10 am Eastern. Dial in for the live call and discussions here 712-775-7085 pin 150703#.
Dig a little deeper – expand your knowledge and understanding even more with these recent articles which will give you more insight for removing limiting beliefs:
Our dream is to live and travel and work from our Vanabode. We’re excited to share the journey of manifesting this in our lives. Keep up with our discoveries and manifestations here.
We didn’t know it, but we actually were doing a Vanabode camping practice run in our Big Foot pickup camper…
20,000 miles, 18 states in 2014 …
we just didn’t realize how much of an influence the Vanabode book had impacted and influenced our simplistic, never-ending roadtrip lifestyle until we recently read the book again.
And now, as we prepare for our “official” Vanabode camping lifestyle, we’re feeling pretty good about how easy this transition will be. We have already been Vanaboding … in our pickup camper! Here’s how:
SHOWERING
Our pickup camper has a shower, but from the start, we converted that shower space to storage.
So, as we traveled throughout the USA, we showered at campgrounds, at the beach, at friend’s and family’s homes. Plus, we discovered that the habit of daily showering wasn’t as necessary as soap and shampoo advertisements want you to believe.
Have you ever showered in the rain? In the right setting, we take advantage of the warm summer rain. It is exhilarating, refreshing and absolutely makes you giggle with delight!
Love this simple solution for our Vanabode lifestyle.
But now – I’m excited to add this little gem to our Vanabode … this Advanced Elements solar shower which has received awesome reviews on Amazon.
THE JOHN
When I was a little girl, I remember traveling with my Grandma Day who kept a coffee can in the car for us to use as a pee can. It came in pretty handy on some of those long car trips.
Now, hold on to that little snippet of a childhood memory … and fast forward to 2014 when we took off in the Big Foot camper …
and picture this: stopping to eat at a restaurant, walking back to the camper, seeing a drip, drip, drip coming from the camper, a steady little stream running down the parking lot.
Is that what I think it is??? UH OH!
So, here we were miles away from our trusted repair man (who happens to be named James Bond!) and short on funds for any kind of major repair which we were sure this would require. (remember, we started out on this roadtrip as a leap of faith! Have you read our story?)
We decided to stop using the toilet because no one needed to be subjected to that when walking by our camper. No one! I all of a sudden felt like Pig-Pen, the Peanuts character that was surrounded by a cloud of dirt, except what we had wasn’t a cloud – it was a puddle.
So, back to my Grandma and her simple ways (which have influenced and inspired me in ways I never imagined until I simplified my life.)
With the toilet out of commission, and because we were often not parked in a campground with hookups and bathrooms … Grandma’s coffee can became the solution.
Now, some may find this totally disgusting and unbelievable … but until we made it back to James Bond in October, the Maxwell House coffee can served us well as a portable potty. Just sayin’.
Our Vanabode will have this portable Passport potty!
It’s a step up from the coffee can for sure. But it still requires a daily disposal of waste. As Jason Odom shares in the Vanabode book, they use the portable potty for peeing ONLY – unless it’s an emergency in the middle of the night. Easier cleanup, you know.
Here’s an interesting fact. FREEDOM IS HEALTHY!
Since hitting the road in November, 2013 we have been healthier than ever! Oh, there have been a couple of days of down time when rest was the most needed cure … but overall, we have not been sick.
We have never had intestinal issues that would have made the coffee can very unsubstantial. Freedom is good for you!
WIFI and Recharging
We depend on the internet for our business, so having internet access and being able to recharge our phones and laptops is something that we dealt with when we left on our never-ending roadtrip.
Most RV parks have WiFi available so as we traveled, we will periodically stay in RV parks to grab a shower to get our bodies reacharged and to get the batteries on our laptops and cell phones recharged as well.
But, there were many more times that we visited local libraries and spent the day working there. We loved the quiet environment, being surrounded by books, and having the easy access to WiFi and to outlets that allowed us to recharge our batteries.
Other options include Starbucks and even some Denny’s have free WiFi connections; but, we’re always considerate of the business who relies on getting customers in and out. That’s why libraries are our number one choice for recharging and Internet service.
Simple … easy … free.
This is what we use to connect to the Internet when we have no other options.
When no other options are available, we rely on this for our internet – Verizon’s MiFi Jetpack.
The 30G per month plan is usually enough for our business purposes, but we do have to monitor our usage. Streaming movies is out – it wipes out our data allowance much to quickly.
VISITING BIG CITIES
As much as we love to spend our time tucked away in the woods, there are times we venture to big cities – usually to attend a business event.
Last year, we were in Los Angeles three times and on the last trip there, we finally figured out how to visit big cities with NO HASSLE.
Of course, when we are in our Vanabode, it won’t be an issue to drive through the cities and park in the parking garages so we can easily sightsee or attend events.
But, when we are in the Big Foot pickup camper, maneuvering and parking in big cities is a much bigger issue. But, we found the greatest solution.
Departing LAX. Ex Continental
We park at the airport. Then take the airport parking lot shuttle to the terminal. Then grab the city subway or tram to head into the city.
At the end of the day, we reverse the process and climb into our bed, in our camper, parked at the airport with the sound of jets taking off to lull us to sleep!
Minimal cost and maximum stress relief!
We also park in Walmart parking lots overnight, at truck stops, and at casinos. (Now you understand why sleeping at the airport with jets taking off didn’t keep us awake.)
There was only one night when a Walmart guard knocked on our door and asked us to leave. No big deal … we always check with the store to make sure it’s okay to park overnight. But, on this night, we had navigated to the wrong Walmart. Same street name but at opposite ends in Phoenix.
One night out of 365 … not too bad I’d say.
This is one of the main reasons we are so ready to Vanabode. No worries about getting permission to park overnight. Stealth camping here we come!
Isn’t it great how one experience leads to the next, and then the next?
Would you Vanabode? Could you?
Trisha (and Bruce)
p: 573-881-6715
f: Find me on Facebook
n: Subscribe to the Naked Hippies Newsletter
P.S. In the Vanabode book, Jason has a complete chapter on making money while on the road. We’ve got that covered, too. Having a mobile business keeps you mobile, instead of being stuck in one place for six months to a year, or years as we did when we were campground hosts.
Have a mobile business. Something you can do from anywhere.
And in keeping with the Naked Hippies lifestyle, it has to be simple.
So simple that a 60 year old grandma can do it. (that’s me!)
Subscribe to our Naked Hippies Newsletter and you’ll find out more about our mobile business, our amazing simple system and how easy it is for you to do exactly what we do … well, except you won’t have to pee in a coffee can!
These articles are the journal I am writing as we manifest our Vanabode. Check back often … we know the perfect Vanabode is making its way to us.
